my dog licked a toad!
 

So it was finally a nice sunny day, and since we live on the lake, I went out to the dock to do some suntanning. I had Molly (8 month old Lab/ Whippet) with me and she was having fun playing in the water, etc. Next thing I know, she is foaming at the mouth like crazy and opening and closing her mouth. I look down and see a toad in the water that she must have been playing with and probably put in her mouth. It was still alive and well, so she didn't eat it or kill it. I immediately flushed her mouth with water and took her away from the toad and kept a close eye on her. Its now about 1 hour later and she seems to be fine, not drooling or anything. Should I be concerned? I don't even know if we have poisonous toads up here in NW Ontario. :pawprint:

I think most, if not all, of the toad that we run into have poison glands...usually on their heads. It's not particularly toxic but it tastes like :yuck:, ptoooey!, :eeew: (not that I've ever tasted it, mind you...I've just watched the dogs' expressions after they've partaken of a bit of it :D). Typically, the dog foams, as Molly did, and then gets over it. :shrug: We've never had any long-term nasty effects from toad encounters.

I suspect the toads would think otherwise. They seem unhappy with getting slobbered. :laughing:

I suspect that if a dog actually [I]ate[/I] a toad, there might be some effects, but none of ours have ever managed to choke one down.

Molly should be just fine. :thumbs up

thanks for the reassurance :) it's going on 2 hours since the incident and she seems to be her usual self. It sure sent me into a panic first thing though! :eek: :pawprint:

Don't expect her to learn from the encounter, though. :rolleyes: Ours routinely organize Toad-Hunting Posses and harrass the amphibians on the grounds. I can always tell by the amount of spit they're producing. :laughing:

[QUOTE=hazelrunpack;608563]I think most, if not all, of the toad that we run into have poison glands...usually on their heads. It's not particularly toxic but it tastes like :yuck:, ptoooey!, :eeew: [/QUOTE]

Ditto Hazel ,Daisy :rip: once took one in her mouth , spitted it out real fast and looked discusted :laughing: I usually have one that hangs out near the solarium door , when the dogs go out and see it , they'll sniff it but that's about it.